Duterte impeachment ‘poor timing’ - Marcos

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated his stance that impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte were ill-timed and not needed at this time.

In an interview with reporters in Leyte on Friday, Jan. 17, Marcos expressed concern that any impeachment complaint would be difficult to move forward, especially with the election season.

"Well, I don't think that now is the time to go through that. So, ipaubaya na muna natin sa ating… Tutal as a practical matter, papasok na tayo sa campaign period. Wala ng congressman, wala ng senador dahil nangangampanya na sila. Hindi tayo makakapagbuo ng quorum. And so, as a practical matter, the timing is very poor," he added.

[Translation: Let’s leave it for now… As a practical matter, we’re entering the campaign period, and there won’t be congressmen or senators available because they’ll be out campaigning. We won’t be able to form a quorum. So, in practical terms, the timing is very poor.]

Marcos has consistently said he would not support impeachment efforts against the vice president, which are not in the best interest of the Filipino people.

"What will happen to the - if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time, for what? For nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life. As far as I'm concerned, it's a storm in a teacup," Marcos said previously.

In the aftermath of the massive rally organized by the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo on Jan. 13 against impeaching Duterte, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that the president’s position on impeachment stays.